'They know they got caught': National security expert slams defense of boat strikes

A national security expert slammed the Trump administration during a podcast interview on Tuesday over its shifting defenses about its strikes against alleged drug boats.

The administration has conducted at least 21 strikes against alleged drug boats and killed upwards of 80 people, according to multiple reports. A recent report from The Washington Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter, indicates Defense Secretary gave an order to kill survivors of one of the strikes, which experts have said could amount to a war crime.

Ben Rhodes, a former national security advisor in the Obama White House, discussed the strikes on a new "Pod Save The World" episode.

"The headline of this whole thing is that they know they got caught committing murder," Rhodes said. "They are acting like people who are guilty of murder because they are."

During a press conference on Tuesday, Hegseth claimed that he wasn't aware of any survivors of the attack in question and had departed for another meeting when the strike order was given. Some analysts noted that this claim seemed to contradict Hegseth's previous claims that he watched the strike in its entirety.

His shifting answer seemed to match the Trump administration's evolving narrative about the particular strike, The Washington Post reported on. Initially, the administration claimed they were removing a hazard. Since then, the administration has claimed it was self-defense, podcast co-host Tommy Veitor noted.

"The whole world is watching video evidence of a war crime," Rhodes said. "And it's a sign too that even Pete Hegseth...is aware that he's going to have a life after Donald Trump is there to protect him. This is becoming an increasingly common thread with this group, that they're aware that there's some accountability that may be on the horizon for them."